Soft caps for dasher board assemblies

ABSTRACT

Soft caps for absorbing player impact against dasher boards are disclosed. The soft cap can include an elongated body defining a number of absorption ribs and channels for absorbing impact forces against the dasher board. The elongated body can be formed from a material having a relatively low durometer adapted to displace and absorb the impact energy when a player strikes the dasher board. One or more curved sections of the elongated body can be configured to fit adjacent to the hard edges of the dasher board. The soft cap can be provided as part of a dasher board assembly including a lower frame assembly and a number of upper shielding panes.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to the field of dasher boardsand accessories for use in bounded sports arenas such as hockey andsoccer arenas. More specifically, the present invention pertains to softcaps for absorbing player impact against dasher boards.

BACKGROUND

Dasher hoards are used in bounded sports arenas to demarcate a generalboundary line dividing a playing field from on-looking spectators and toabsorb impact from players as they maneuver the outer periphery of theplaying field. The dasher boards are typically designed to be secure andstable in order to withstand vibration or shock while also providing thespectators with a clear and unobstructed view of the game. In the designof ice hockey rinks, for example, such dasher boards are designed towithstand significant impacts caused by hockey players skating or beingpushed into the boards throughout the course of a game while alsoallowing spectators to view the game without obstructions.

A typical dasher hoard for a hockey rink includes a lower frame, ananchoring system for attaching the lower frame to the rink surface, anupper shielding pane, and a support mechanism for connecting the uppershielding pane to the lower frame. The dasher boards can be fabricatedas either a fixed, continuous frame forming the boundary, or indemountable sections typically eight feet in length that are assembledtogether in an end-to-end fashion to form the boundary. In some designs,an ice retainer or ice dam is sometimes used on the bottom of the lowerframe to prevent ice from creeping away from the playing surface.

More recent trends have focused on imparting greater flexibility andabsorption capabilities to dasher boards in order to dampen thesignificant impacts that can occur during play. The “flexibility” of thedasher board is generally understood as the displacement of the dasherboard in response to an impact, which can vary from as little as 1/16″for systems that utilize boards mounted to a concrete block wall to asmuch as 2″ to 3″ for demountable systems which employ loose anchors andbolts and are constructed from aluminum frames. An illustrative dasherboard system employing several features for absorbing player impact isdescribed in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,217 to Johnston elal., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Although many existing dasher board systems employ features to absorbthe energy from an impact, the surfaces of the dasher boards aretypically made from hard materials such as high-density polyethylene(HDPE) or fiberglass which are not absorptive. Due to the moreaggressive playing style and faster speeds associated with contactsports such as hockey, there is an ongoing need in the art for dasherboards having shock absorption features that lessen player impact whilealso providing spectators with a clear and unobstructed view of theplaying field.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates generally to soft caps for absorbingplayer impact against dasher boards. An illustrative soft cap for usewith a dasher board can include an elongated body defining a number ofabsorption ribs which act to absorb impact forces exerted against thecap. The absorption ribs may be spaced apart from each other via anumber of channels, and can extend lengthwise in a direction eitherparallel or transverse to the length of elongated body. A curved sectionformed on one or both sides of the elongated body can be configured tofit adjacent to the hard edges of the lower frame. In some embodiments,the elongated body can be formed from a soft material such aslow-density polyethylene, which in contrast to the harder materialstypically used in forming dasher boards, can be configured to displaceor yield when compressed to absorb impact energy.

The soft cap can be provided as part of a dasher board assemblyincluding a lower frame assembly and a number of upper shielding panes.The frame assembly can include an impact panel attached to a number ofvertical posts and stringers. An upper section of the frame assembly maydefine an upper periphery that can be configured to support the softcap. In some dasher board systems, the soft cap can be coupled to theupper periphery of the frame assembly adjacent the impact-side of theupper shielding panes. In other dasher board systems, the soft cap canbe coupled to the lower frame, either above or adjacent to an existingsill. In use, the soft cap may form a bumper along all or a portion ofthe upper periphery of the frame assembly in order to absorb impactforces caused when a player strikes the dasher board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative dasher board systememploying a soft cap;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the connection of thesoft cap to the lower frame assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the dasher board assembly alongline 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4-5 are perspective views showing the illustrative soft cap ofFIG. 1 in greater detail;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the illustrative soft cap depicted inFIGS. 4-5;

FIGS. 7-8 are perspective views showing another illustrative soft capfor use with acrylic dasher board systems or for portions of the dasherboard without shielding panes;

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the illustrative soft cap depicted inFIGS. 7-8;

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing the illustrative soft capof FIGS. 7-9 attached to a dasher board assembly without shieldingpanes;

FIG. 11 is perspective view of an illustrative soft cap havinglongitudinally oriented absorption ribs; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another illustrative soft cap havinglongitudinally oriented absorptions ribs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description should be read with reference to the drawings,in which like elements in different drawings are numbered in likefashion. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depictselected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention. Although examples of construction, dimensions, and materialsare illustrated for the various elements, those skilled in the art willrecognize that many of the examples provided have suitable alternativesthat may be utilized.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an illustrative dasher board system 10employing a soft cap for absorbing player impact will now be described.As shown in FIG. 1, the dasher board system 10 can include a series ofmodular dasher board assemblies 12 that can be flexibly connected toeach other in an end-to-end fashion to form a bounded area such as ahockey rink or soccer arena. In the illustrative view of FIG. 1, asingle dasher board assembly 12 is depicted, which, when attached toother dasher board assemblies, forms a modularized dasher board system.It should be understood, however, that the dasher board assembly couldbe part of a fixed, continuous dasher board system, if desired.

Each dasher board assembly 12 can include a lower frame assembly 14adapted to vertically support a number of upper shielding panes 16,18.The lower frame assembly 14 can include a first end section 20, a secondend section 22, a lower section 24 and an upper section 26. The lowersection 24 of the frame assembly 14 can be anchored to the underlyingplaying surface 28 of the arena or rink via an anchoring mechanism inorder to secure the dasher board assembly 12 in place.

The impact side of the frame assembly 14 can be covered with ahigh-density polyethylene or fiberglass impact panel 30, which can besupported to the frame assembly 14 using several vertical posts andstringers as described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 3. Akickboard 32 can be connected to the lower portion of the panel 30 tofurther strengthen the panel 30 from hits with the players' skates. Insome embodiments, an ice retainer or ice dam 34 can also be connected tothe lower section 24 of the frame assembly 14 to prevent ice fromcreeping away from the playing surface 28.

The shielding panes 16,18 can be made from a variety of materialsincluding tempered glass, acrylic, Plexiglass, or other suitablematerial. In dasher board systems 10 employing tempered glass, theshielding panes 16,18 will typically be about ½″ thick on the sides ofthe arena and about ⅝″ thick on the ends and radius sections of thearena. Acrylic shielding panes 16,18, on the other hand, are typicallyabout ½″ thick at all locations. The shielding panes 16,18 may have ahorizontal length of about 4 feet, with two such panels 16,18 typicallyforming an 8 foot length of dasher board. The number and length of theshielding panes may vary, however, depending on the dimensions of eachdasher board assembly 12.

The shielding panes 16,18 can be vertically supported at least in partusing a sill 36 located on the upper periphery 38 of the frame assembly14 adjacent to the non-impact or spectator side of the dasher boardassembly 12. The sill 36 may extend along all or a portion of the lengthof the frame assembly 14, and can be configured to abut the non-impactside of the shielding panes 16,18 for support. The sill 36 may be formedfrom a relatively hard material such as high-density polyethylene(HDPE), which acts to support the shielding panes 16,18 in place withinthe frame assembly 14 when deflected in the direction indicatedgenerally by the arrows 40.

As can be further seen in FIG. 1, each dasher board assembly 12 canfurther include a soft cap 42 extending longitudinally along the upperperiphery 38 of the frame assembly 14 between the ends 20,22. In theillustrative embodiment depicted, the soft cap 42 is located along theupper periphery 38 adjacent the impact side of the frame assembly 14 andshielding panes 16,18. During use, and as discussed in greater detailbelow, the structure and material composition of the soft cap 42 can beconfigured to provide impact absorption when a player strikes the dasherboard assembly 12, or when the player jumps a section of the dasherboard assembly 12 not containing shielding panes.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the connection of thesill 36 and soft cap 42 to the frame assembly 14 of FIG. 1. As can befurther seen in FIG. 2, an upper channel 44 of the frame assembly 14 mayinclude a slot or U-shaped support channel 46 adapted to support thelower periphery 48 of each shielding pane 16,18 therein. A first edge 50of the sill 36 can overhang a portion of the upper channel 44, and canbe configured to engage the non-impact or spectator side of theshielding panes 16,18 for support. A second edge 52 of the sill 36, inturn, can be configured to lie flush with or extend at least in partbeyond the spectator-side of the frame assembly 14.

The soft cap 42 can be configured to cover the upper periphery 38 of theframe assembly 14 adjacent to the impact side of the shielding panes16,18. A first edge 54 of the soft cap 42 can be configured to overhanga portion of the impact panel 30, as shown, forming a bumper to coverthe hard edges of the panel 30 during an impact. A second edge 56 of thesoft cap 42, in turn, can be configured to engage the impact side of theshielding panes 16,18, thereby supporting the impact side of theshielding panes 16,18 opposite the second edge 50 of the sill 36. Insome embodiments, the slot or U-shaped support channel 46 can be springloaded against the second edge 56 of the soft cap 42 to provideadditional shock absorption during impact.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the dasher board assembly 12along line 3-3 in FIG. 1, As shown further in FIG. 3, the frame assembly14 can further include a number of vertical posts 58 each connected orwelded at a lower end thereof to a lower base plate or bottom channel 60anchored into the playing surface 28 via bolts 62. The upper ends of theposts 58, in turn, are connected to several upper stringers 64,66 via awelding plate 68. A number of additional stringers 70,72 can be furtherconnected to the vertical posts 58 adjacent to the panel 30 to provideadditional structural support to the frame assembly 14, if desired.Several holes or openings 74 can be provided in the vertical posts 58 topermit an adjacent dasher board assembly to be fastened together in anend-to-end manner so as to define a bounded enclosure such as a hockeyrink or soccer arena.

FIGS. 4-5 are perspective views showing the soft cap 42 of FIG. 1 ingreater detail. In the illustrative embodiment depicted, the soft cap 42comprises an elongated body 74 having a first end 76, a second end 78, afirst side 80, and a second side 82. The sides 80,82 of the elongatedbody 74 may be oriented in a direction along a general longitudinal axisL of the elongated body 74 which, when assembled to the dasher board,are adapted to lie substantially parallel to the upper periphery 38 ofthe frame assembly 14.

The first edge 54 of the elongated body 74 can be oriented orthogonal tothe second edge 56 thereof via a curved section 84 of the elongated body74. During use, the curved section 84 of the elongated body 74 can beconfigured to lie adjacent to the upper edge of the panel 30 via asemi-circular channel 86 oriented along the length of the elongated body74. As can be seen by reference back to FIG. 3, for example, thesemi-circular channel 86 permits the curved section 84 of the elongatedbody 74 to bend or flex about the upper edge of the panel 30, which,during impact, helps to distribute the impact forces over a wider area.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view showing the bottom of the soft cap 42 ingreater detail. As can be further seen in FIG. 6, the elongated body 74may further define a number of absorption ribs 88 which act to furtherabsorb forces exerted on the dasher board when struck by a player. Theribs 88 can be spaced apart from each other via a number of channels 90that can be oriented lengthwise in a direction transverse to the generallongitudinal axis L of the elongated body 74. The width W₁ of the ribs88 as well as the width W₂ of the channels 90 can be selected so as toimpart a desired amount of flexibility to the elongated body 74. Incertain embodiments, for example, the ribs 88 may have a width W₁ ofabout ¾″ whereas the channels 90 may have a width W₂ of about 1″. Itshould be understood, however, that the dimensions of the ribs 88 andchannels 90 can be varied to impart a different flexibilitycharacteristic to the soft cap 42.

In contrast to the sill 36, which may be formed from a relatively hardmaterial such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the soft cap 42 canbe fabricated from a soft material having a lower indentation hardnessto provide better absorption during impact. The term “soft” as usedherein generally indicates a material having a shore durometer lowerthan 90-100 Shore A. In certain embodiments, for example, the materialused to form the soft cap 42 can include a low-density polyethylenematerial having a durometer of about 60-30 Shore A whereas the materialforming the sill 36 and other components of the dasher board assemblycan have a durometer of about 90-100 Shore A or greater. The materialused in forming the soft cap 42 will typically have a hardnesssufficient to withstand cuts from the players skates and to withstandrepeated strikes without permanently deforming.

FIGS. 7-8 are perspective views showing another illustrative soft cap 92for use with acrylic dasher board systems or for portions of the dasherboard without shielding panes. In the illustrative embodiment depictedin FIGS. 7-8, the soft cap 92 can comprise an elongated body 94 having afirst end 96, a second end 98, a first side 100, and a second side 102.The sides 100,102 may be oriented in a direction along a generallongitudinal axis L of the elongated body 94 which, when assembled tothe dasher board, lies substantially parallel with the upper peripheryof the lower frame assembly.

The first side 100 of the elongated body 94 can include a first curvedsection 104 forming a first edge 106 that extends along the length ofthe body 94. The second side 102, in turn, can include a second curvedsection 108 forming a second edge 110 that extends along the length ofthe body 94. A number of semi-circular channels 112,114 oriented alongthe length of the elongated body 94 can be provided to allow the curvedsections 104,108 to bend or flex about the upper edges of the frameassembly.

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view showing the bottom of the soft cap 92 ingreater detail. As can be further seen in FIG. 9, the elongated body 94may further define a number of absorption ribs 116 which act to furtherabsorb forces exerted on the dasher board when struck by a player. Theribs 116 can be spaced apart from each other via a number of channels118, which may be oriented lengthwise in a direction transverse to thegeneral longitudinal axis L of the elongated body 94. As with otherembodiments herein, the width W₁ of the ribs 116 as well as the width W₂of the channels 118 can be selected so as to impart a desired amount offlexibility to the elongated body 94. In certain embodiments, forexample, the ribs 116 may have a width W of about ¾″ whereas thechannels 118 may have a width W₂ of about 1″. Other dimensions arepossible, however.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing the illustrative soft cap92 of FIGS. 7-9 attached to a dasher board assembly 120 withoutshielding panes. The dasher board assembly 120 may be similar to thatdescribed above with respect to FIGS. 1-3, with like elements labeled inlike fashion in the views. For example, the dasher board assembly 120can include a lower frame assembly 14 having a lower section attached tothe playing surface 28 via a number of bolts 62, and a number ofvertical posts 58 connected to several upper stringers 64,66 via awelding plate 68. Other features such as additional stringers 70,72 andconnecting holes or openings 74 can be further provided, if desired.

In those dasher board systems where supported shielding panes areemployed, or in portions of the dasher board where shielding panes arenot present, the soft cap 92 can be configured to overly the entireupper periphery 38 of the frame assembly 14, forming a soft surfacewhich acts to displace and absorb player impact. In the illustrativedasher board assembly 120 of FIG. 10, the soft cap 92 is shown overlyingan existing sill 122 connected to the frame assembly 14. In contrast tothe existing sill 122, which may be made from a relatively hard materialsuch as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), the soft cap 92 can befabricated from a relatively soft material such as low-densitypolyethylene which acts to absorb more energy during an impact. Incertain embodiments, for example, the soft cap 92 can be formed fromlow-density polyethylene material having a durometer of about 60-30Shore A whereas the existing sill 122 may be formed from a high-densitypolyethylene material having a durometer of about 90-100 Shore A orgreater. The materials used to form the soft cap 92 may vary, however,depending on the level of absorption desired, manufacturingconsiderations, as well as other factors,

Although the soft cap 92 in FIG. 10 is shown overlying an existing sill122, other embodiments in which the soft cap 92 is adapted to fitunderneath an existing sill, or alternatively is configured to fit ontoa dasher board without an existing sill are also contemplated. Wheninstalled underneath an existing sill, for example, the soft cap 92 canbe configured to provide additional impact absorption while alsoreducing damage to the material resulting from the skaters' blades beingpushed against the top surface of the cap 92.

In some embodiments, one or more layers of harder material can be formedover all or a portion of the soft cap 92 to prevent scuffing and/orcutting of the soft cap 92 material during use. As shown in FIG. 10, forexample, a layer 123 of material can be formed over the outer portion ofthe soft cap 92 that is generally harder than the material forming thesoft cap 92. In certain embodiments, for example, the layer 123 caninclude a layer of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) having a hardnessthat is greater than the material forming the soft cap 92, which cancomprise a low-density polyethylene.

Fabrication of the soft caps described herein can be accomplished usingany number of suitable manufacturing methods such as injection molding,compression molding, transfer molding, or extrusion molding. Whilethermoplastic materials such as low-density polyethylene can be used tofabricate the soft caps, it should be understood that other types ofmoldable and/or extrudable materials can also be used to fabricate thecaps, if desired.

In certain embodiments, the structure of the soft caps, including theorientation of the absorption ribs and channels, can be formed as acontinuous piece of extruded material that can be later cut to aparticular length, as needed. In one such embodiment depicted in FIG.11, for example, a soft cap 124 for use in some supportless dasher boardsystems can include a number of longitudinally oriented absorption ribs126 to facilitate extrusion of the cap 124 as a single, continuous piecevia an extruder. The soft cap 124 can comprise, for example, anelongated body 128 having a first end 130, a second end 132, a firstside 134, and a second side 136. The ribs 126, which are spaced apartvia channels 138, may be oriented lengthwise in a direction along ageneral longitudinal axis L of the elongated body 128. In contrast totransversely oriented ribs, the longitudinally oriented ribs 126 providea degree of symmetry along the length of the elongated body 128,allowing the soft cap 124 to be extruded as a continuous piece ofmaterial.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing another illustrative soft cap 140having longitudinally oriented absorption ribs. The soft cap 140, whichis configured for dasher board systems employing supported shieldingpanes or no shielding panes, can include a number of longitudinallyoriented absorption ribs 142 to facilitate extrusion of the cap 140 as asingle, continuous member via an extruder. The soft cap 140 cancomprise, for example, an elongated body 144 having a first end 146, asecond end 148, a first side 150, and a second side 152. The ribs 142,which are spaced apart via channels 154, may be oriented lengthwise inthe direction of a general longitudinal axis L of the elongated body144. Similar to the embodiment of FIG. 11, the symmetry of the elongatedbody 144 along its length allows the soft cap 140 to be extruded as acontinuous piece of material.

Having thus described the several embodiments of the present invention,those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that other embodimentsmay be made and used which fall within the scope of the claims attachedhereto. Numerous benefits of the invention covered by this document havebeen set forth in the foregoing description. It will be understood thatthis disclosure is, in many respects, only illustrative. Changes may bemade in details, particularly in matters of shape, size and arrangementof parts without exceeding the scope of the invention.

1-32. (canceled)
 33. A flexible, compressible molded elongatethermoplastic bumper soft cap to be mounted to a top sill over a hardupper 90° edge along an impact side of a lower frame dasher board for arink, comprising (a) a molded low-density polyethylene elongate bodyhaving a durometer of about 60-90 Shore A, the body having: (b) a topflat first side; (c) a solid vertical flat second side, the top andvertical sides of the elongate body are oriented in a direction along ageneral longitudinal axis of the elongated body; (d) the top flat firstside being substantially thicker than the solid vertical flat secondside, the solid vertical flat second side being orthogonal to the firstside for overlapping the impact side of the lower frame dasher board inflush arrangement as to not interfere with sports play; and (d) a curvedsection between the first and second sides to be mounted adjacent theupper hard dasher board edge.
 34. The soft cap of claim 33, furthercomprising a void channel extending longitudinally in the body below thecurved section to be displaced or yield when compressed to absorb anddistribute impact energy when a player strikes the cap.
 35. The soft capof claim 33, further comprising alternating ribs and void channelsextending longitudinally in the body below the top flat surface andcurved section to be displaced or yield when compressed to absorb anddistribute impact energy when a player strikes the cap.
 36. The soft capof claim 35 wherein the channels have a width of about 1 inch.
 37. Thesoft cap of claim 35 wherein the ribs have a width of about ¾ inch. 38.A flexible, compressible molded elongate thermoplastic bumper soft capto be mounted to a top sill over a hard upper 90° edge along an impactside of a lower frame dasher board for a rink, comprising (a) a moldedlow-density polyethylene elongate body having a durometer of about 60-90Shore A, the body having: (b) a top flat first side; (c) a solidvertical flat second side, the top and vertical sides of the elongatebody are oriented in a direction along a general longitudinal axis ofthe elongated body; (d) the top flat first side being substantiallythicker than the solid vertical flat second side, the solid verticalflat second side being orthogonal to the first side for lying along thelower frame dasher board in flush arrangement as to not interfere withsports play; and (d) a curved section between the first and second sidesto be mounted adjacent the upper hard dasher board edge.
 39. The softcap of claim 38, further comprising a void channel extendinglongitudinally in the body below the curved section to be displaced oryield when compressed to absorb and distribute impact energy when aplayer strikes the cap.
 40. The soft cap of claim 38, further comprisingalternating ribs and void channels extending longitudinally in the bodybelow the top flat surface and curved section to be displaced or yieldwhen compressed to absorb and distribute impact energy when a playerstrikes the cap.
 41. The soft cap of claim 38 wherein the channels havea width of about 1 inch.
 42. The soft cap of claim 38 wherein the ribshave a width of about ¾ inch.
 43. A flexible, compressible moldedelongate thermoplastic bumper soft cap to be mounted to a top sill overa hard upper 90° edge along an impact side of a lower frame dasher boardfor a rink, consisting of: (a) a molded low-density polyethyleneelongate body having a durometer of about 60-30 Shore A, the bodyhaving: (b) a top flat first side; (c) a solid vertical flat secondside, the top and verical sides of the elongate body are oriented in adirection along a general longitudinal axis of the elongate body; (d)the top flat first side being substantially thicker than the solidvertical flat second side, the solid vertical flat second side beingorthogonal to the first side for overlapping the impact side of thelower frame dasher board in a flush arrangement as to not interfere withsports play; (d) a curved section between the first and second sides tobe mounted adjacent the upper hard dasher board edge; and (e) a voidchannel extending longitudinally in the body below the curved section tobe displaced or yield when compressed to absorb and distribute impactenergy when a player strikes the cap.
 44. A flexible, compressiblemolded elongate thermoplastic bumper soft cap to be mounted to a topsill over a hard upper 90° edge along an impact side of a lower framedasher board for a rink, consisting of: (a) a molded low-densitypolyethylene elongate body having a durometer of about 60-30 Shore A,the body having: (b) a top flat first side; (c) a solid vertical flatsecond side, the top and vertical sides of the elongate body areoriented in a direction along a general longitudinal axis of theelongated body; (d) the top flat first side being thicker than the solidvertical flat second side, the solid vertical flat second side beingorthogonal to the first side for lying along the lower frame dasherboard; (d) a curved section between the first and second sides to bemounted adjacent the upper hard dasher board edge; (e) a void channelextending longitudinally in the body below the curved section to bedisplaced or yield when compressed to absorb and distribute impactenergy when a player strikes the cap; and (f) alternating ribs and voidchannels extending longitudinally in the body below the top flat surfaceto be displaced or yield when compressed to absorb and distribute impactenergy when a player strikes the cap.